What I Packed for Three Weeks in Europe

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My trip to Europe lasted from April 29th until May 23. Here is what I packed and what I acquired along the way. Check out this post, for tips on how to choose a backpack along with my review of the bag I ended up with.

What I packed:

Fancy dress- This was only for the high tea in London. Normally, I wouldn’t pack an expensive dress especially knowing that I would only wear it once but this was a special occasion.

Leather jacket- This was my standard daily wear jacket.

Rain jacket

One pair of jeans

Two leggings

30 pairs of contacts- I wear dailies but after lugging around so many pairs of contacts for weeks I’m debating whether or not I should buy two week wear pairs for trips. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Overall, I packed too much while actually thinking that I was packing light. Most of my clothes only got worn once which isn’t great. While my bag managed to feel light, it was definitely too much. I find that my downfall with packing is that I want to look good in different pictures and I don’t always want to be wearing the same outfit for photos. I need to work on caring a little less about this. Does anyone else have this problem?

I ended up buying a second pair of jeans and the sweater because the weather was colder than I anticipated and I was woefully unprepared for it. Next time, I will try and pack a little bit more prepared. Also, it never once occurred to me that I might be able to do laundry in a hostel. I was able to do laundry a few times throughout my trip. This could have cut back on clothes as well if I had thought of it sooner.

Some of my toiletries I packed without anticipating needing such as the band-aids and polysporin (an antibacterial product for cuts) but knew that I would regret not having if I did end up needing. For items such as this, I don’t mind that I lugged them around for three weeks. However, for items such as two sunscreens for my face (Why Arielle?) I do regret dragging about with me.

For the most part, I definitely over packed and could easily have managed with half of what I brought but there are no glaring regrets. Does anyone have any thoughts about how I could have done things differently?

About Me

Hi, I'm Arielle and these are my adventures. I seek budget travel, good food, and authentic experiences all in the name of completing my bucket list. I love cats, books, and anything Harry Potter. You can expect to hear from me every second Tuesday with updates on my quest to complete my bucket list by 40 years old. Read More…